District Line tonight - what went wrong?
 

Because of some issues with my bicycle I decided to come to my mother's in
Putney on the District Line tonight and found a right shambles. It took me
twice as long, about an hour, as it took to cycle the other way this
morning.

I got to St James's Park just after 19:00 (where I was a bit surprised and
relieved to find my Cambridge-U1234 Off Peak Return of yesterday was
accepted by the barrier). Next train advertised in 3 minutes (Circle Line)
with Ealing Broadways 2nd and 3rd in 5 and 6 minutes. Lots of people on
the platform so obvious that things were not quite right.

The first Ealing was so full there was no chance of getting my bike on so
I waited for the second. That was less crowded but I still only got the
bike on by taking up the free space round a busker. :-) Richmond and
Ealing trains were advertised as following ours.

When I got to Earl's Court (where I see the gleaming new roof has been
revealed and they have started taking the scaffolding down) the earlier
Ealing was still there in platform 3 and we were put into 4 after some
waiting for a platform on the way from Gloucester Road (two recorded
announcements to that effect).

What followed was utter confusion. I got out, to wait for a Wimbledon
train. Then they advertised (after a PA call for a named driver) on the
departure indicators that the Ealing on Platform 3 was now for Wimbledon.
The indicators on the side of the train still said Ealing Broadway and the
passengers reported no on-train announcements. No on- platform
announcements either. The signal cleared with the white junction
indicator, meaning the route was set from platform 3 for West Brompton.
Then the indicators on platform 4 changed that train's destination to
Wimbledon as well and the signal came off to indicate that route too. So
suddenly from two Ealing Broadways we had two Wimbledons!.

Then they decided the platform 3 train was for Ealing after all and
announced that the train on platform 4 was for Wimbledon. Loads of people
piled on (to the train I had got off) meaning there was no way I could get
my bike back on. So I let it go. The indicator on 3 went back to Ealing
Broadway and eventually the green signal returned to yellow for which that
train also departed. Then the Richmond came and went, followed by the
arrival of the next Ealing. Just afterwards a Wimbledon was indicated.
Before that arrived from Edgware Road, the Ealing was changed to a
Parson's Green and departed while the Wimbledon was waiting. I got on the
C stock (much easier with a bike than D stock because the doorways are
wider) train to Wimbledon but lots of waiting passengers got on the
Parson's Green train, presumably because they were going no further and it
was leaving first. When the Wimbledon left we passed the Parson's Green
held between Earl's Court and West Brompton. I bet the people who had
switched to it were not amused!

So what had gone wrong? The staff on the Earl's Court platform muttered
something about disruption but nothing close to any reason was given at
all. The LU web site says of the District Line "Minor delays are occurring
due to an earlier signal failure at Tower Hill" and the whole line is
coloured on the map. Is that all?

--
Colin Rosenstiel